Clearing The Air
by Willow Edmond
Summary: An unexpected Make-A-Wish fulfillment gives May an opportunity at a very long limo ride, and a chance to have a discussion with someone who's been irritating her since she got to the WWE. May might be nice, but even nice has its limits.
1. Chapter 1

**Clearing The Air**

"Welcome back, listeners. I'm the original, Justin _F_ ever, joined as ever by the lovely Carte Blanche, and you're listening to the WPNS, morning dirt. For those of you just tuning in, we're joined today by two of the WWE's _hottest_ superstars, May Devany, and Dolph Ziggler!"

May leaned forward in her chair, so she was closer to the microphone, in case she was needed to speak, not that she had done much of it during this interview. Justin Fever was much more interested in talking to Dolph and Carte Blanche seemed to be more concerned about batting her extremely long, obviously fake lashes at him. Still, you never knew what the future held and she wanted to be ready.

While other Divas might have been a little jealous of the attention being shown to Dolph, and thus the _lack_ of attention being show to her, May didn't care. They had flown into the city in the morning, and even though they had a house show tomorrow, after this radio show, she and Dolph had the rest of the day off and she was _so_ looking forward to it. Days off were such rare things in the WWE, that even a partial day off was like a holiday and the two of them had been almost giddy on the flight, talking about what they would do with all that time.

"Gym first," Dolph said, even though the two of them had both gone running before flying that morning. "Right after the radio show, we'll hit the gym for a few hours, then..." He paused and raised his brows, "some _quality_ time back at the hotel?"

May had grinned back. "Perhaps some lunch before then," she suggested.

"Good idea," Dolph agreed. "You need to keep your strength up."

"I was thinking more of _you_ ," May teased.

"Me?" Dolph pulled back his head as if someone had tapped him on the nose.

" _You're_ the one who passed on on me last night," May murmured, not wanting anyone else in first class to hear her.

"That's because _you're_ an animal," Dolph said, leaning close and nuzzling her ear, which made her laugh.

The difference between Dolph and Seth as far as boyfriends went, was night and day. Seth had always been reluctant and stiff in public and his idea of a PDA was to take her elbow and guide her through crowds as though she were a child who might dawdle too long if left to her own devices. And while Dolph wasn't clingy, he was affectionate, having no problems with draping an arm around her, or giving her a spontaneous hug, sometimes even kissing her, not caring where they were. May had grown up in a family that believed hugs and cuddles could fix almost anything, so this seemed a lot more natural to her than Seth's stiff formality ever did.

"So, Dolph," Justin was saying, "One of your exes did a show here last night and she had a few _things_ to say about you."

May could feel Dolph's body tense, even though their was a couple feet of space between them, but he smiled. "I'll bet she did. Amy is... she's something else. I have nothing but respect for the woman, and we're still friends, but at this point, all you know is her side of things."

"Well, we can hear _another_ side of the story," Carte said, in that sultry voice that had made her famous in this city. She turned to May. "You're the _latest_ girlfriend, any truth to what she's saying?"

"I don't know," May said, looking completely innocent. "What is she saying?"

"Oooh!" Carte leaned her head back and laughed, a throaty laugh that did sound almost like audio foreplay. "Nice way to evade the question!"

"No, I'm serious!" May lied, her eyes wide and innocent. She damned well _did_ know what Amy had said about Dolph, but she wasn't going to tell the world that. "The WWE keeps us so busy, we really don't have time for gossip and rumors. Not to mention my mama always told me that anything an ex says should be taken with a large libation and a grain of salt." As she expected, the comment made Justin, Carte, and Dolph laugh, and even the camera guy who was making sure the video feed went over the internet gave a chuckle. "So, you'll have to fill me in."

"You haven't told her?" Carte turned to Dolph, drawing him back into the conversations.

"No," Dolph didn't really lie, he hadn't told her, Renee had. "No need."

"So," May said, keeping her voice innocent, her eyes wide, using her diminutive height for all it was worth to complete the look of sweet innocence. "What is she saying?"

"She says she broke up with Dolph because he's 'too athletic' in bed," Justin said, giving a snort.

"She said he was rag dolling her," Carte chimed in, giving Dolph the once over as if the idea of being rag dolled by the WWE Superstar might be less of a problem and more of a check off on her bucket list.

"Maybe Amy needs to get her cardio up," May said, still looking sweet and innocent, even though she knew those just spoken eight words were meaner than her usual fare when doing the public relations game. She didn't like getting to risque in her conversation, but the WWE had booked her and Dolph on this show, and the show had a reputation for being a little more shock than talk. They had to have expected this type of thing would happen. "After all," She looked over at Carte, giving her a wink that said clearly, _we're women, we know how it is, don't we?_ "What would _you_ rather die of, Carte? Abuse or neglect?"

At this, Carte tipped her head back and roared with laughter, and the three men in the room joined in. "Oh, Amy!" Carte said, when she was able to speak again, "Did you hear that?"

"Hear? Hell she probably _felt_ that!" Justin said. "If she _heard_ anything it was bells, cause she just got schooled!"

May looked over at Dolph, who grinned broadly. She just _loved_ it when he smiled.

* * *

There was another commercial break, then when they returned, they did a wrap up. Both May and Dolph spoke about the show the next night, encouraged people to buy tickets, told them how local events were an entirely different experience than watching wrestling on TV. The hosts kept things mostly business for this last part, knowing the game well. If the guests got to do all their plugging, the next time the WWE was in town, they would be more likely to get someone even higher up in the ranks. Not that she and Dolph were small potatoes, but they weren't holding any belts right now. _If they play their cards right, the next time they could have_ _Donna Duprey_ _,_ May thought to herself, and was actually pleased that her mind hadn't put too much rancor in the thought. If her mother had heard her thoughts, she'd have patted May on the back and said, "You're doing good, baby."

When the show was over, there was the usual hand shaking, autograph signing, and other PR work, this time for just the radio station workers. Since Dolph was getting most of the attention, May fished out her cell phone from her pocket. She had it on vibrate and she knew she had gotten at least three texts during the show.

She expected them to be from someone in her family, or Renee, Shannon Storm, or any of her other friends, but instead they were from Stephanie. Frowning, she looked up at Dolph, pointed to her phone and stepped out in the hall to read the texts.

When she walked back in the room a few minutes later, she was feeling a mixture of disappointment and excitement, she couldn't help it, it was always this way when these things happened.

As they were heading out of the building together, May looked at Dolph. "I'm sorry, but Stephanie texted me. I-I have a Wish Fulfillment to do."

For a moment, Dolph did look disappointed, as the thoughts of their afternoon together, vanished from his mind, then he smiled. "I understand," he said, knowing how much May loved being able to fulfill wishes. "Do I need to drive you someplace?"

May shook her head. "They're sending a car for me," she explained. "It should be out in the parking lot." She paused, taking Dolph's arm, stopping him as well. "Why don't you go to the gym and then back to the hotel?" she suggested. "This is happening in the local kid's hospital, so I'm betting it won't be super long." She had done enough wish granting in hospitals to know that usually when that happened, the child involved often didn't have the energy for too long of a visit. "I'll join you at the hotel and we can maybe... have some fun and go to dinner. Does that sound good?" She said the last part with a suggestive look, running her tongue over her lips.

Dolph smiled. "That sounds great, I'd like that."

"And hopefully we'll still get a chance to get a good night's sleep," May said, looking forward to a rare opportunity to possibly get over four hours of sleep.

"If I don't keep you up all night," Dolph joked.

"I could say the same," May quipped back. The hallway was empty, so she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him, letting him know exactly how much she was looking forward to their evening together. Dolph let her know he was feeling the same way by returning her kiss with equal enthusiasm.

When they got outside, there was a full limousine waiting, the driver standing outside by the back door. He nodded when he saw her, letting her know he was there for her. She gave Dolph one last kiss, this one a little more conservative than the one in the hallway. "See you later?"

"See you later," Dolph agreed.

As he turned to go to the rental car, May went to the limo, hoping that there were some t-shirts and other merchandise inside, along with a dossier to give her more information about the child she would be visiting. Stephanie was usually pretty good about making sure the talent was prepared for this.

The limo driver opened the door and as May climbed inside, she froze.

Sitting on the seat across from hers, was Roman Reigns. He was wearing a his business casual clothing, obviously he hadn't had time to change, his hair tied back in a ponytail, and on his lap were two folders. "Sit down," he told her, his voice flat, "we're doing this one as a team."


	2. Chapter 2

**Clearing The Air**

Roman was getting ready to check into his hotel room when the call from Stephanie came. Like May and Dolph he had flown into the city that morning, in fact he'd been on the same plane as them, sitting two rows behind them, occasionally seeing the two of them cuddling together in their seats. Unlike them, he had done a local television show that morning, and he'd done it alone. He too, was supposed to have the rest of the day and that night off, and was looking forward to that. Then the phone call came.

He'd been waiting at the desk when the call came in, and when he saw who it was from, he moved out of the line and walked over to a quiet alcove to take the call. "Hello?

"Hi, Roman," Stephanie's voice was efficient and a little brisk, but not rude. Still, it was a tone that Roman understood meant something was going to be required of him. "Listen, I don't know if you've checked into the hotel yet, but in half an hour, there's going to be a limo coming there to pick you up."

Roman knew better than to protest, you didn't argue with the WWE, they considered you on the clock all the time, unless you were out on an injury that kept you in the hospital and even then, they might find things for you to do _from_ your hospital bed. "That's fine, I was just about to check in. That should give me enough time to check in, put my stuff in the room, and get down to the lobby. What do I have to do?"

"You're going to the local Children's hospital. There are two kids there, they both have leukemia and they met at the hospital awhile ago, and they've become very close friends. They both love wrestling and one of them, Robbie Brenner wants to meet you."

"Okay," Roman said, "And the other one?"

"She's a girl, Ashley Jacobs, her wish is to meet May Devany," Stephanie said calmly. "So, you'll be going to pick her up. She and Dolph are doing an interview at WPNS, by the time you get there, she should be finished."

 _Of_ _ **course**_ _they are_ , Roman thought, but wisely did not say out loud. Thanks to a viral video of the two of them waltzing in an IHOP parking lot, to _Years From Now_ , a song that had been playing on the outdoor speakers, suddenly Dolph and May had become "the" couple of the WWE, and people wanted to see the two of them together, everywhere they went. The WWE had finally caught onto this and were having the two of them escort each other to the ring for matches. Currently, Dolph was in a rivalry with Dean that had some good heat behind it, and May often did guest commentary when they had matches. Surprisingly, at least to Roman, May was turning out to be pretty good on commentary. Roman had his suspicions that Renee was coaching her with that. May played the face girlfriend for Dolph, perfectly, never insulting Dean too much, but implying that Dean was trouble. "Okay, I'll be waiting."

"There will be information about both kids in the limo when it gets there," Stephanie continued, "Along with a package for May. Make sure she gets it."

 _And of_ _ **course**_ _, a package for May_ , Roman thought, but again, wisely did not share. Being on the road all the time, it was hard for wrestlers to get snail mail. While email, texting and Skype had solved most of those problems, it didn't fix the matter of physical items being sent. A solution to this was that family and friends of wrestlers had a PO box number in Connecticut they could send packages to. There were always people going from WWE headquarters to shows, they would take packages with them and give them to the wrestlers. Nobody took advantage of this system more than May's family. It seemed that at least once a week, there was some intern tasked with finding May to give her a box or a padded envelope. Roman knew all about close families, he came from his own large, close, family, but May's family was a whole 'nother level. If he had a dollar for every time Seth had complained about her constant texting and Skyping with some member of her family or the other, Roman would have been able to retire and probably still sent his daughter to the best college money could buy. "I will," he said.

"Good." He could hear the nod in Stephanie's voice, the signal that she had accomplished everything she needed to, and no doubt was now thinking of the next task she needed to finish. It wasn't that Stephanie was cold, she wasn't, despite her authority persona, but she was a business woman and this conversation wasn't personal, it was business. They said their good byes and hung up.

 _Great_ , Roman thought as he joined the line to check in, _An afternoon with_ _Little Miss Sunshine_. The nickname was not favorable, he really _didn't_ like May. Sure, she was sweet and kind and popular enough with the roster, but Roman suspected a lot of that was an act, designed to deflect anything bad from falling on her. Roman knew about the back stage gossip, Alicia and May were fairly close and May had confessed a few things to Alicia, that too-quickly got around the locker room, like May was a virgin the night she had gone after Seth. Roman suspected _that_ was bullshit too. No girl would go after a guy so aggressively as May had, if she were a virgin. _She's ninety percent bullshit,_ Roman thought, as he got the key-card to his room and thanked the desk clerk. _It's just that no one else sees it_ _but me and Donna_.

Roman told himself that he didn't really _hate_ the woman, May Devany wasn't _important_ enough to hate. But, she had done a pretty good job of complicating his life for awhile. When Seth and Donna's relationship from the first time had started falling apart, Roman was convinced if May hadn't come along and shown Seth he had an alternative bed-warmer, Seth probably would have patched things up with Donna almost immediately. After all, May and Seth might have made it for two years, but that's only because Donna was too busy making a name for herself in the movie business. Had she been resigned with the WWE, May would have been out and Donna back in. Look at how fast Seth had run back to her the moment she came back to the WWE, leaving May in the cold for what? Six seconds before Dolph stepped in? Well, maybe more than that, but it sure seemed like the second May was single, Dolph was staking his claim. Although in truth, Roman was grateful for that part of it. The faster May moved on with her life, forgot about Seth, the better that was for everyone. If only she and Dolph didn't have to be so damned _cute_ about everything.

 _Donna and Seth should be in their place_ , he thought, as he headed to the elevator to go to his room. _They should be the couple in the WWE everyone goes crazy for_. It wasn't that Donna wasn't popular enough on her own, she certainly was, the WWE Universe worshiped and adored Donna, and if she had any detractors, they knew better than to speak out loud for fear of being lynched by all of Donna's loyal supporters. But as a _couple_ , May and Dolph were more popular than Seth and Donna. And while Donna didn't much care right now, Roman had the feeling that when she realized what was going on, she'd be furious. How _dare_ someone else be getting attention and accolades that Donna should be getting? The fact that Donna wasn't likely to indulge in overly cute things such as waltzing in parking lots with Seth wouldn't play in Donna's mind, _she_ would see it as she was a member of a wrestler couple, _she_ was the best wrestler the WWE ever had, ever _would_ have, so shouldn't she and Seth be the most popular couple in the WWE?

These thoughts played in his mind as he saw the limo pulling up to the front of the hotel, early of course. Irritated at the limo's over promptness, he gave a porter fifty dollars to take the bags up to his room, praying that he wouldn't take it upon himself to riffle through them, looking for genuine Roman Reigns personal effects to sell on Ebay. _Time to get this shit over with_ , he thought as he climbed into the limo, a genuine limo, not just a rental SUV with a driver. _Sunshine my ass, I don't have time for this shit today and I don't have time for he_ _r. If she thinks she's going to stretch her time with the kids, she's got another thing coming. We go in, we do the job, we leave. If she doesn't like it, she can find her own ride back to the hotel or call Dolphy-poo to pick her up._ Automatically, he started going through the mini bar, trying to find something, _anything_ , to make his current tiny nemesis even smaller, if only in his own mind.

* * *

May sat down and accepted the folder Roman handed her with a nod and a small "thank you," part of her upset with herself for being so timid around Roman. _He's harmless!_ she told herself, _You're not dating Seth anymore, so he doesn't give a crap who you are. He doesn't like you because you_ _ **did**_ _date Seth, but now that you're not, the two of you can be civil to each other_. She noticed there was a box on the seat next to him, the writing on it a curly script she was very familiar with, her mother's. She waited a moment for him to hand it to her, but he was looking at his folder and sipping from a can of coke that she could smell held something besides the sugary soft drink. May forced herself not to frown. May was far from a non-drinker, she could party with the best of them, but she felt that to go visit sick children with breath that smelled of alcohol was a bit over the top. Some of the parents of these children were strict teetotalers of the type to believe alcohol was downright evil. The WWE made it clear that when you granted wishes, you did your best to fit in, and you did not do anything that might upset the children or their parents. _Let it go_ , she ordered herself. _It's_ _ **his**_ _problem, not yours_.

She realized Roman wasn't really reading the contents of the folder he was just staring at it, no doubt so he wouldn't have to deal with her. She never understood why he disliked her so much. Maybe at the beginning, when she was first dating Seth, she could sort-of understand it, at that point, Roman didn't want anything really to do with Seth, furious that he had broken it off with Donna. And of course, May being the new girlfriend, hadn't helped the situation. But, eventually, Roman had forgiven Seth, much to Seth and May's relief. She thought that while her and Roman would never be friends, they would at least get along and be civil to each other. But, much to her surprise, Roman's indifference became outright snubbing of her. He wouldn't sit with Seth in catering if she was sitting there. If they were already sitting there and May tried to join Seth and Roman, Roman quickly found an excuse to leave. If she and Seth planned to go out after the show for a drink, he wouldn't join them. Knowing how much Seth had wanted, even _needed_ the companionship of the man he considered to be an older brother, May soon just learned to find any excuse she could not to go out with Seth after shows. Seth never questioned it either, just buying her reasons, like needing to email her family or just wanting to get some extra sleep. She had the feeling he was even relieved she was coming up with these excuses, saving him the bother of telling her she wasn't welcome when Roman Reigns was part of the group.

In the back of her head she heard her mother speaking, "May-belle, there are some people in this world that you will never understand, no matter how hard you try. Doesn't mean they're good people or bad people, it just means they don't think like you do."

May leaned into the seat, looking over at the box next to Roman again. Part of her itched to just grab it, knowing it was for her, but there seemed to be something rude about that, even though it could be argued that Roman was being just as rude by not giving it to her. Deciding that she would wait a little longer, in case it was merely an oversight on Roman's part, she looked over at him, forcing herself not to look at the box and smiled. "Any idea where the hospital is and how long it's going to take to get there?"

Roman looked up from the folder he was pretending to study. "Well, since the podunk little radio station you were at is at the very _South_ of the city, in fact, not even in the city limits, more beyond the suburbs, and the hospital is on the outskirts of the _North_ side of the city, I'd say we've got a bit of a trip, probably close to an hour. But if you want, we can ask the driver."

May found herself flinching from his words, none to kind in themselves, but the delivery was cold and disdainful, as if she had said something rude and stupid. _What the?_ "No," she managed to say, "It's okay. I'll take your word for it." _One hour with Roman. God, you must want me to go to Heaven because you're showing me what Hell would be like_.

"Suit yourself," Roman said, and went back to looking at the folder.

May tried not to sigh too loudly, and opened her own folder. It didn't take her long to read it, no matter how hard she tried to drag it out. She knew the girl who's wish she would be fulfilling was Ashley Jacobs, her best friend and the boy whose wish Roman would be fulfilling was Robert, AKA Robbie, Brenner. The file gave various other facts, along with information about Ashley's disease, Acute myelogenous leukemia, often referred to as AML. Sadly, May had granted wishes of several other children with AML, so she didn't need the general fact sheet about it, she had done research of her own on the internet and talking to various parents and doctors. She did study the information about Ashley, gleaning as much as she could about the girl, even though she knew that these papers never very good. She really got to know these kids when she met them and talked to them. A list of facts, such as what hobbies she liked (watching wrestling, video games, and reading to cats at the local shelter to help socialize them) what her favorite food was (chocolate ice cream) never gave you a feel for the personality of these kids, not even the pictures.

All too soon she was unable to be distracted by the file and had gone back to looking at the box, which Roman hadn't even glanced at once that she had seen, even though he must have seen her looking towards it at least once or twice. Again, she debated if she should ask him for the box or give him one more chance to hand it to her himself. Finally, she decided if she didn't say something, it was just going to drive her crazy. "Is that box for me?" she said, her voice a squeaky version of her normal voice, which made her feel instantly embarrassed.

Roman looked over at the box as if he had never seen it before in his life, and glanced at the label. "Oh yeah," he said, "I guess it is." He took the box and handed it over. "Another care package from Mommy and Daddy?"

May took the package, refusing to meet his eyes, knowing she would glare at him if she did. "It is from my family," she admitted. She balanced the package on her lap and reached into her purse, pulling out a plastic nail file she kept on her just for this purpose. She slit the tape and opened the box, almost reluctantly. Most times boxes from home were a delight to her, something she looked forward to. Normally, she would walk into the locker room and several of the other divas would gather around to see what she got and to see if May would pass around cookies.

Most of the locker room had been to dinner at Michelle and Ferris Parker's house, and desert was often a plate of cookies, always home made completely from scratch. While wrestlers were always careful of what they ate, divas in particular, Michelle's cookies were the exception to the rule. And while Michelle never appeared to be scrutinizing her dinner guests, it always seemed she remembered what cookies her guests had been particularly fond of, and when she sent her care packages to her daughter, there was almost always little cellophane bags, each containing three cookies, with the name of the intended recipient on it, printed in Michelle's flowing, curly writing. With catering always being a risk, and food on the road often being a case of catch-what-catch-can, those cookies were more than just cookies, they were a taste of a life none of them had the luxury of living right now, a taste of a steady home and time to bake delicious treats. Very few superstars and divas would trade places with anyone for love or money, but sometimes, it was nice to be reminded of a different life, a quieter life.

On the top of the box was a bunch of papers Michelle pulled out and began looking at, pictures drawn by her younger brothers and sisters. Her grandmother was an artist and some of her grandchildren had inherited her skills. Most of these were drawn by Thia and Stacy. Stacy seemed to be showing particular talent, and May marveled at a drawing of one of the overpasses at Central Park. Sure, it was crude, her perspective was still something she needed to work on, but if you had been there, or seen this overpass in a picture, you would have known instantly that's what her sister had drawn. Unable to resist, she held it up so Roman could see it. "My sister Stacy drew this!" When Roman glanced at it, and almost, but didn't quite shrug, May tried to explain. "Stacy and your daughter are about the same age."

"So?" Roman asked, taking another sip of his drink.

"I just thought you might find it interesting," May said, pulling the picture back. "It's something we have in common."

"A younger sister is _not_ the same as your own child," Roman pointed out.

May frowned, the tension she had been feeling since she got into this limo and saw Roman, surging through her and turning to anger. "Why is it _so_ different?" she demanded, before she could think if a confrontation was really a good idea.

Roman looked at her for a moment, as if he was amazed that May had the gift of speech, never mind that she would choose to use it on him, and in a less than polite way. He was so used to May just going out of her way to be pleasant to the point of blandness whenever they had to interact that this came out of the blue. "A younger sister is just someone you share blood with," he said, forcing himself to go back to looking as disinterested in her as he could. "You own child is... well, it's different. With your _own_ child, you've been there since birth, you've changed their diapers, you've stayed up all night walking them when they couldn't sleep, you've bonded with them in a way that you _never_ bond with a sibling."

"Oh, really?" May's nostrils flared. "You think I wasn't there for my sister's birth? Maybe not in the room, but right after Stacy was born, we were all brought in and all of us held her to welcome her into the family, the same thing we did with all our brothers and sisters. And I helped raise her as much as I could, until I went to NXT. It was like that with my family. There were so many of us that the older kids helped raise the younger ones." Part of her screamed at her to stop this rant, knowing that anything she said, would not impress Roman, so she was wasting her breath, but she _couldn't_ stop. Part of her hated herself for having this confrontation, but part of her, a bigger part than she would like to admit, relished it. "I spent many nights helping my parents when one of my younger brothers or sisters needed to be walked, I've diapered more bottoms than you probably had, dealt with teething, _all_ of that."

"It's not the same," Roman said dismissively. "You can be as close as you want to your brothers and sisters, but when it's your own true child, it's totally different."

His supreme confidence in his own superiority infuriated her instantly. "There's no limit on how close you can be to someone, _especially_ your sisters," she snapped, "but you'd know that more than _anyone_ , wouldn't you?"

Anger, and something else flashed in Roman's eyes, but May wasn't quite sure what it was. "What's that supposed to mean?" he demanded.

 _Stop, May, get a grip!_ Her logical mind told her, but her emotional side, the side that felt hurt at how he had snubbed her, how he had treated her when she was dating Seth and even now that she and Seth had broken up had taken control and would not be denied. "Everyone knows how close _you_ are to _your_ sisters, Roman. And not just your blood sisters either. In fact, some would say you're even closer to your _surrogate_ sister than you are your _blood_ sisters. _Real_ close, a little _too_ close, some would say!"

It wasn't until the words were out of her mouth that she realized the implication she had made and almost opened her mouth to clarify what she mean, that she wasn't implying that Roman had done anything _improper_ with Donna, but then she stopped herself and just looked at him.

The color had drained out of Roman's face, for a moment, making him look as if he was closer in relation to Paige than to Jimmy and Jey. There was a look in his eyes that May had never seen on Roman before, but she had seen it on other people, _fear._ A flash of fear and panic had taken the man over for a moment, paralyzing him with it. May's eyes widened, she had seen it. Even though it was only took him mere seconds to get a hold of himself and regain his color, she still had _seen_ it, and instantly she knew why Donna and Roman were so close and it had very little to do with sibling bond. "Oh. My. God," May said, shaking her head. "You _slept_ with her."

"You don't know what you're talking about!" Roman snapped, a little too quickly as if he had been waiting for the accusation and prepared the denial ahead of time. "Donna is my friend and my best friend's fiance, that's _all."_

"Really?" May laughed, unable to stop herself, part of her a little ashamed at how amused she was at this. "Seth told me that you and Donna were like brother and sister!" The plexiglass was up, meaning the driver probably wasn't able to hear them, but she leaned forward, just in case and lowered her voice, "So, tell me, did you call her _Sis_ when you did her?"

For a moment, she thought Roman was going to hit her, she even saw out of the corner of her eye that his right hand had curled into a fist. She knew how to defend herself, over twenty years of martial arts training had seen to that, but as her body prepped to defend itself, her brain knew he wouldn't do it. _He's not that stupid, he punches me and he knows he's in for a_ _ **world**_ _of trouble._

Sure enough, she saw the fist relax and he drew in a deep breath, "You are _so_ full of shit," he said with a sneer. "You're more than just imagining things, you're delusional. Donna is nothing more than a close friend."

"Sure," May snorted.

"What's the problem?" Roman said, his voice taking on an almost taunting tone, "You can't believe that a man can just be close friends with a woman? Is that how it works in May World? You're pretty friendly with a lot of guys in the locker room, are you saying you've slept with them?"

 _He's trying to throw you on the defense_ , May thought, because honestly, this was a battle in its own right. "Nice," she said, leaning back in her seat, shifting the box. "Try to pin me for your crimes, classic." She paused, laughing and shaking her head. "You can deny it all you want, Mr. Reigns, but I saw that look on your face. You slept with Donna. I don't know when, I don't know why, but you _did_. And something tells me you wouldn't mind doing it again."

"Again, you don't know wh-what you're talking about," Roman said, doing his level best to sound bored with her.

"Sure I don't." May started rifling through the box again, not even looking at him. "You can deny it all you want, Roman, but I know. And you know what? It all makes friggin' sense. All this time I've wondered what _I_ did wrong, when as it turns out, I didn't do anything wrong, it was that you couldn't keep your dick in your pants."

"Coming from the girl who seduced Seth the second he said he was a free agent," Roman sneered. "You're a fine one to be passing moral judgment on anyone."

"I'm not passing moral judgment," May said, as she pulled out two plastic jewel cases from the box and looked at them carefully. "Personally, Roman, I don't care if you slept with Donna or not. I'm not the victim in this case, if there is any victim it's your wife and your daughter, for trusting you." She looked at him, satisfied when she saw him flinch ever so slightly. "I mean, I sure felt like a victim myself for those two years Seth and I were dating. Especially when the two of you made up and became buddies again, but I was still treated like I was less than dirt." She continued rummaging in the box, among the packages of cookies, occasionally looking at the names. "I felt pretty bad about that for a long time, wondered what I'd done wrong. But you know what?" She found the bag she was looking for and laid it on top of the jewel case she had put aside. "I may have jumped the gun, I may have come on too strong and too fast to the wrong guy, but, at least I didn't go and sleep with _you_ when he and I broke up."

"Like I'd ever lower myself," Roman sneered.

"Oh, you would," May disagreed. "If I really got it in my head that my life would not be complete if I didn't have sex with you? It would happen. Because guys like you are like dogs, always sniffing around, always looking for something warm and wet to stick it into. Because that's what makes you think you're a man. You're as bad as Seth."

"I suppose you think Dolph will be faithful to you?" Roman laughed. "Good luck. The first time you're apart from him, the first time you're overseas with a Support the Troops tour, and he's back here? He's going to latch on to the first diva or ring rat to bat her eyes at him."

May refused to dignify Roman's accusations with a reply. Instead she scooped up the jewel case and the bag of cookies. "Well, you've saved me some bother," she said, holding them out. "Please give these to Seth."

She practically had to shove them into his hands, but he finally took them. "What the hell is this?" he asked.

"A CD and cookies," May said calmly. "The CD is from my brother's band, Seth actually likes them, so Ben sent along a CD for him. And the cookies are from my mom. He may have talked smack about my family, but he _always_ liked my mother's snicker-doodles."

Roman held both the cookies and the CD in his hands as if he wasn't sure if perhaps he should throw them at her. May ignored him and flipped her own CD over, studying the list of songs on the back. Roman finally put them in the pocket of his jacket.

The rest of the ride to the hospital was remarkably quiet.


	3. Chapter 3

**Clearing The Air**

Roman was completely unsurprised that May and Ashley hit it off almost instantly. He wasn't even surprised that May and Robbie hit it off. Or, that May charmed their parents either, that was just what May did. And it wasn't like he and Robbie didn't get along, Robbie was so excited to meet him, that if he'd been a dog, Roman was sure he would have rolled on his back and peed all over the place. Roman had to admit, as annoying as it could be having to fit these surprise Make-A-Wish engagements into the schedule, usually he enjoyed them once they got started. The kids were always so appreciative and in their lives of doctors and treatments, they often looked at this day as a chance to be as close to a normal kid as they would get.

The meeting was held in a brightly lit, window lined solarium, the kids and their families, in Ashley's case, her mother, her father, and her older brother. In Robbie's case, just his father, apparently Robbie's mother was out of the picture, and nobody asked why. That was one of the unspoken rules. Roman thought he might have read that Robbie's mom had left the family, but he couldn't be 100% positive, but he wasn't going to bring her up.

Within minutes of the initial meeting, May had Ashley on her lap and was sitting on the floor, chatting with her and her brother, answering questions and (after getting parental permission) giving both the kids cookies that she had put into her purse from her "care package" even though she had left the box and most of the contents in the limo. Ashley's mom was looking as if she might burst into tears herself, as Ashley ate an entire cookie and washed it down with a tiny container of milk. Apparently, Ashley's appetite had been next to nothing lately, and getting the kid to eat a slice of apple had become a nearly impossible task. While cookies were not the healthiest choice, at that point, Roman would have bet Ashley's Mom would have brought her kid a slab of bacon, slathered in lard if the kid would just _eat._ And when May assured Mrs. Jacobs that those cookies were made from unrefined brown sugar and honey, rice flour, and every other ingredient that could make a cookie sound almost wholesome, the woman _did_ get teary eyed, and even had to wipe her eyes when May gave her the recipe. Apparently, Michelle Devany sent special cookies with every care package, just for potential Make-A-Wish kids, that contained ingredients most likely to be, if not appreciated, at least accepted.

Of course, Roman didn't have cookies to offer, no one sent him magical care packages. There were the three cookies in his pocket, but those were for Seth. But, May had enough for all the kids, even their parents to try one too.

Roman felt he had bigger concerns than this meeting on his mind, but he forced himself to put that aside for Robbie's sake. And he answered questions, asked the right ones. He thought he was doing fine, but at one point, Robbie looked at him, head tipped to one side and asked, "Are you okay, Mr. Reigns? You look worried."

 _It shows?_ Roman thought, as he did his best to clear his face of whatever expression he had been wearing that concerned Robbie and instead grinned. "I'm fine! I was thinking about my daughter. She's older than you, but I'm sure she'd love to meet you."

"I wanna meet her!" Robbie enthusiastically declared, which made Roman's grin widen and grow more genuine. "I saw her on that commercial! I liked her!"

He was referring to the "Take Time to Be a Dad" commercial, where he played "I'm a Little Teapot" with his daughter, something that was filmed years ago, but still trotted out ever year and played, just for the cuteness factor of it. "Well, I'm sure she'd like you, too," Roman said, actually confident that was true, his daughter seemed to get along with most kids she met, even May's younger sisters, who she had met backstage, much to Roman's dismay.

After awhile though, May was telling very tamed down versions of backstage tales, and soon even Robbie had drifted to listen to her. Roman talked with Robbie's dad for a bit, then took the opportunity to politely say that he had to use the men's room.

There were cameras and security at the event, but thankfully the closest men's room was a "one person only" place. He did sign a few autographs in the hall, said hello to other children who were fans, but not included in this event. But when he shut the door of the bathroom, locking it behind him, he was more than glad to drop the smile. He sat down on the only place you could sit in the small room, the toilet, pants up and drew out a long, frustrated breath. _How the fuck did that little pipsqueak figure it out?_

May was right, of course, he had cheated on his wife with Donna, not too long after Seth had left Donna for May, a huge mistake in Roman's mind, why leave someone like _Donna?_ Someone who had a strong personality and was _going_ places, for some little runt who was going nowhere? Thank God Seth had wised up, but not before he had gone off with Donna one night, the original intent being to let her unburden herself at the loss of Seth. Unfortunately, they put a bigger burden on themselves that night, when one thing lead to another and they woke up tangled in the sheets, in each other, in a web of lies Roman had the feeling they'd be spinning for the rest of their lives.

May was far from the first person to accuse him of being "too close" to Donna, many other people in the locker room had commented on it, and Roman usually was able to deflect them easily, sometimes with something as simple as, "If I _did_ do Donna, trust me, you'd know, she's so fine, I'd be bragging on it!" Or, just toss them off with an eye roll. But something about how May had accused him had for a brief moment, made him believe she somehow had inside information and unable to stop himself, he'd let that fear show in his face and the runt had picked right up on it. _She_ _ **knows**_ , his mind kept saying, _She may not have the facts, she might not be able to prove it, but she_ _ **knows**_.

The fact that there really wasn't a way to prove it didn't really matter if she decided to become a locker room gossip. People would believe her, because that's the way it was in the WWE. Speculations became rumors, became facts, it was worse than a Junior High school. _You can't stop what she's figured out, you can't erase her mind, so you have to deal with what's in front of you now. You have to stop her, now_.

He wasn't quite sure how he was supposed to do that. He might have enough clout to have May removed from her contract, but he doubted that. Even Donna, when she came back determined to make May pay for having dated what she had always considered to be _her_ man, Donna hadn't made those noises, although she probably could have. "I'll come back, Trips, but only if you get rid of the dwarf." God, Hunter would have had May in his office in seconds, had Donna made that a stipulation.

 _If she gets fired now, then she has no reason at all_ _ **not**_ _to talk_ , his rational side reminded him, which was true. May was so friendly with so many people backstage, that even if she was told to leave the WWE today and never darken their doorstep with the sight of her and those tiny little braids she wore her hair in, people would still keep in touch with her. Skype, email, texting, all those things that make life easier for wrestlers to keep in touch with their families would work just fine for May to spread her speculations. And if she was fired any time soon, she would know the reason. _No, she can't be fired_.

He rose from the toilet and went to the mirror, catching sight of himself in the mirror as he turned on the sink to splash water on his face. _What does May want?_ he asked himself. _What would motivate May into keeping quiet?_ He tried to remember what he could about her, back stage rumors, things Seth had told him when he'd dated the woman, things he had observed for himself. What he remembered the most was that apparently May was unhappy that Roman avoided her. Roman was pretty sure it was mostly because she felt she was putting a rift between him and Seth, which, she was, just by her own existence, but he was also sure that part of it was that May was the type of little Sunshine Girl scout who couldn't stand having anyone upset with her. _Maybe I should befriend her?_ he thought, even though the thought of hanging with May made him feel slightly ill, as if he'd just eaten a bad clam or something and it hadn't quite hit yet, but his body knew that something terrible would be happening soon. _No, I don't have to hang with her much, or be her buddy, she'd see through that anyway, but there is no reason why I have to be cold. I can say hi to her in the hallways, be pleasant on the PR events_.

He looked at himself in the mirror again, reminding himself that he had the good looks women just loved. It wasn't always easy to remember that, despite the rumors from the dumb ass Smarks who believed he thought he was a God among men and thus, should have everything handed to him. Roman had been a cute kid in the sense that most every child was cute, but when he hit puberty, the first stages weren't kind to him at all, at least not in the face. It wasn't until he had left his teenage years and started growing his hair long that he went from looking somewhere between a missing link and average, to being the type of man some women swooned over and called, 'beautiful.' Sometimes now, his own reflection even startled him. He'd never had a problem being popular when he was a kid, he was a football player, a good guy with a personality that fit in with a lot of people, so it wasn't like he'd been sitting home on prom night, but he knew that if he had looked in grade school, as he looked now, he could have been a complete and utter douche bag and still have had plenty of attention, especially from girls.

 _Just play it cool, be her friend, or at least no more unfriendly than most of the guys in the locker room. Remember, when Dolph and Dean started their feud, she wasn't too fond of Dean either, but now the two of them get along just fine,_ he thought, forgetting that Dean had never gone out of his way to snub May as Roman had, Dean had just been more indifferent, not caring if she was around or not. _You just say hello, be casual, and she'll soon forget her accusations, she'll be like all the other divas, thinking I'm just a sweetheart of a guy who wouldn't dream of cheating on my wife and possibly risking hurting my daughter_. _Time fades memories, soon enough she'll forget whatever she saw on my face that gave it awa_ _y, she'll think she must have been mistaken._

He wasn't quite sure how Donna would take this sudden warmth and toleration of May, Roman was usually the one to laugh the heartiest when Donna went on one of her "let's insult May" tirades, but lately, Donna had even chilled a bit on that, not being openly friendly to May, but at least not being openly rude, either. But, would that last if suddenly Roman started saying hi to May in the catering lines or waving to her in passing the hall? He doubted it. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, and Donna still considered that May had scorned her in the past. It didn't matter that Donna had things all sewn up with Seth now, even had the big chunk of ice on her finger to prove it, Donna was like an elephant when it came to memory, she never forgot. Roman was pretty sure her "let's not be mean to May" was more likely a result of a lecture from Vince or Hunter that she needed to play nice with the locker room, than a real desire to let go of a grudge. _If she comments, which she will, I'll tell her I'm_ _just_ _playin_ _g politics, too._

Which brought him to his _second_ problem, the CD and the cookies, which were still in his pocket. Donna might be chilling on her treatment of May, but Roman was pretty sure that presents from May's family, would tip her right back to the other side of seeing red around May, backstage politics be damned. Roman wasn't afraid of Donna's anger, he actually found it magnificent, like she was an amazon warrior or something. He thought she looked fine when she was angry and couldn't believe Seth would have ever given that up, given up an Amazon Princess for a fun sized freak. _Probably just appreciated she didn't have to kneel to give him a blow job_ , Roman though. But he sure didn't want her to get so angry that she told Seth that she and Roman had spent one night together.

He pulled the CD out of his pocket and looked at it. There was no picture of the band on the cover, just the name of the group, _Pistol Whipped Messiahs_ , and some vaguely abstract art with a street feeling to it. There was nothing about the CD that would link it to May, unless you knew that the lead singer of this particular band was her brother. Roman was pretty sure that even if Seth did like the band, that he hadn't mentioned it to Donna. But, just to be sure, he'd give the CD to Seth when Donna wasn't around. He slipped the CD back in his pocket.

The cookies were another matter. Cookies from your ex-girlfriend's mom, there was no way to pass that off as no biggie. Roman couldn't see any scenario where Donna would be indifferent to that. _I'm not opening that can of worms_ , he told himself, and started to toss the cookies in the trash. Then he stopped, realizing he was a little hungry, he hadn't had time to grab lunch and he hadn't tried any of the cookies May had brought to the hospital. He opened the cellophane bag, pulled out a cookie and took a bite.

It was the best cookie he'd ever ate.


	4. Chapter 4

**Clearing The Air 4 (Final)**

"That went well," Roman commented as he and May got back into the limo to return to the hotel. The visit had gone longer than these visits normally went, at least for Roman, and the second part, the part after he returned from the bathroom had gone better than the first, both of them entertaining the kids with stories of matches and backstage antics. The kids had really enjoyed it. Promises were made that if it was possible, both kids would go to the house show the next night, tickets were already given to the parents.

May settled into her seat, pulling the box from her mother back onto her lap and looking over at Roman, frowning. She expected him to be pleasant and nice _at_ the event, but they weren't at the event anymore, she was fully expecting "cold, sarcastic" Roman. "Yeah it did," she finally said, as she pulled her phone out of her purse. Several texts from friends and family were waiting for her, and she prepared to answering them, first sending a text to her mother to thank her for the box.

"I don't know about you, but I have the rest of the day off," Roman remarked as the limo left the parking lot, his voice casual, "I'm looking forward to that."

For a brief moment, May wondered if he was going to ask if she wanted to hang around together or something and she paused, her fingers frozen on her phone. She knew Seth and Donna weren't scheduled to arrive until tomorrow, they were doing a house show elsewhere tonight. For that brief, frozen, moment she wondered if he was going to suggest that all three of them, Dolph included, hang out together, for awhile. _That would have to win the prize for the biggest WTF moment of the week_. It wasn't like she and Dolph were the only other wrestlers to be here. There weren't many, but there were a few others also doing the PR work before the house show, surely if Roman lacked for company, he could find it. He had enough friends in the locker room, someone he liked better than her or Dolph _had_ to be here, since as far as she knew, that list consisted of "anyone else." Then, she remembered the earlier conversation in the limo, the accusations, the information she knew to be true, even if she didn't have physical proof. And she knew exactly where Roman's mind was going. _He's trying to throw me off balance, he thinks if he's pleasant to me, I'll forget about everything, the cocky bastard_.

"Dolph and I have the night off, too," May said, as she finished typing out the simple text message - "Got the box, thank you, Mom" and hit send. She put the phone aside and smiled at Roman, something overtaking her. "We were going to the gym together, until Stephanie told me about Ashley and Robbie. I told Dolph to go on to the gym, and I'm sure he did, but I'm still hoping I can get in a few hours." She smiled brightly as if an idea just came to her, "Hey, here's a thought, the limo is taking us back to the hotel, why don't we grab our gear and go to the gym and work out together? Then, when we're done, we can come back to the hotel and I'll get Dolph and the three of us can go grab a bite to eat? There's this great Sushi place we've both heard about and we were thinking of trying and I _know_ you love Sushi, Roman. We can grab something to eat and then maybe go clubbing? We get so few night off, I'm really getting the urge to put on my dancing shoes and paint the town red, doesn't that sound like fun? The _three_ of us! Like three little peas in a pod. Because I'd like to get to know you better."

May's voice had been lighthearted, lyrical, getting happier and happier sounding, the more she strung out her supposed fantasy of the three of them, herself, Dolph, and Roman, spending a night together, urged on as the look on Roman's face became confused, then concerned, then just that of a deer in the headlights. Now though, she dropped the cheerful voice and said, "It's just too bad your _wife_ isn't in town too, so the two of us girls could get to know each other better, you know? Exchange a few stories about you. I'm sure she'd _love_ to know what the backstage gossip is about _her_ man."

For the second time that day, the color drained from Roman's face and he continued to stare at her, as if he wasn't sure what was going on, that she had taken him on a trip through a million conflicting emotions. "Oh, relax," she finally said, letting him off the hook, just a little bit, just enough so his feet weren't dangling in some emotional space, but still not completely planted on solid ground. "We've been doing _so_ good at just tolerating each others existence all these years, why mess up a good thing?" She stared at him, looking right into his eyes. "And yeah, Roman, I know, I have no proof, but I think you know me well enough, know my reputation in this company as someone who doesn't go around making up rumors, that if I _did_ start saying that I suspected you and Donna were a little _too_ close, people would take me seriously. There are enough people around here who do love spreading gossip and that would be too juicy to pass up."

Roman opened his mouth, May believed he was about to say, "Wait" but she sailed right over him, "But, I won't do that, Roman." She noted that a look of cautious relief started to creep into his eyes and she continued, "Not because I don't think you _deserve_ it, you certainly do, but because there are people who _don't_ deserve it. Your wife and daughter for one, they're innocent. And to a lesser extent, Seth, because the two of you are best friends. Maybe Seth and Donna weren't dating at the time you fucked her, I'm betting they weren't, but I know Seth better than you think and I know he'd be hurt if he knew that you'd slept with Donna. Seth is almost as much of a dog as you, with his urge to screw anything that looks twice at him, but like most dogs, he's got two sets of rules, and in his world, for him to cheat is just guys being guys, for anyone else it's a sin. So I know how upset this would make him. And, to an even lesser extent, I'd be hurting Donna, because I actually believe that woman does love Seth and does want to make it work. And I have no love for the woman, but that doesn't mean I don't want her and Seth to be happy together." She paused, shaking her head before speaking again, "I mean, I look at it that if they can make it work, if they can be faithful to each other, then that's a few dozen people who won't have to go through what I went through, what their past lovers went through. But if the _only_ person I had to worry about hurting with this knowledge was you? I'd rent _every_ fucking billboard in _every_ major city and put your picture and Ronda's on it, with a big fucking heart around it. So, I won't tell what I know, but that doesn't mean I'll _forget_ , Roman. So, don't fuck around with me, okay? We'll play nice, but beyond that? We keep our usual wide berth. Because to be frank? You make me want to puke."

She leaned back in her seat and turned her attention to her phone again, reading the text her mother had sent back while she had been ranting at Roman. Roman tried to speak once, but she made a slashing motion across her neck with her fingers, indicating that she would not talk to him, would not listen to him, pulled her headphones out of her purse and put them on, finding music on her phone to listen to instead. She cranked up the volume and concentrated on her phone, ignoring Roman for the rest of the ride.

Roman was never more confused and relieved when the limo finally pulled up to the hotel and he could leave, beating a retreat to the safety of his hotel room. He was glad to see May duck into the stairwell, obviously opting for using the stairs to get to her hotel room. This let him the elevator without worrying he would get stuck with her for the ride up to the eleventh floor.

He didn't like the attack, but he did realize May was telling the truth, she wouldn't spread what she had learned to anyone. Well, maybe to Dolph, but Roman was pretty sure she wouldn't even tell Dolph, unless she could be 100% sure he wouldn't tell anyone. May was, for all intents and purposes, a nice girl, but as Roman had discovered, even nice girls had their limits and he had pushed the tiny woman to the breaking point. And while Roman was sure that May would do her best to keep her word and not tell anyone, for the sake of those she considered innocent, Roman also knew that if he pushed things with her, if he crossed a line in the sand that he didn't even know where to find, she might find it easier to break her word then she thought.

 _I have to be very careful around her_ , Roman thought, as the elevator dinged and the door opened. _I haven't been very smart, no, let's be honest, I've been downright stupid when it came to her. I've been thinking she was a pushover. She's not. She's nice, but she's no clinging vine. She's got her limits and when you reach them? The gloves come off_. He wished now that when she and Seth were dating he hadn't been so rude to her, actually taken the time to get to know her, just so he might have some insight in how to make sure he didn't push her buttons ever again.

His indifference to May was forever gone. Now he completely disliked the woman, even _hated_ her. But the odd thing was, when she was grinning at him, babbling about false plans of the three of them going out together as if they were old friends, as she spun the fantasy, her voice getting brighter and happier, he knew now that the happiness he'd seen and heard had come from _his_ discomfort. The more uncomfortable she made him, the happier she was. _She enjoyed that,_ he thought. _She liked making me squirm, she liked it a lot_.

And as much as he now hated her, he was starting to see why Seth had been attracted to her in the first place.

* * *

When May returned to her room, Dolph was walking out of the bathroom, towel wrapped around his waist, steam rising from his skin, which was red from his recent, and obviously very hot shower. His hair was plastered around his head in mostly brown, but still some faintly blond, wet strands. When he saw her, he grinned. "Welcome back! You're just in time to help me get dressed," he called out, as she put the box and her purse on the dresser.

She laughed and went over and kissed him, wrapping her arms around him tightly, appreciating the warmth and the clean, fresh, soapy smell that clung to him. "If you're depending on me to help you get dressed, it might never happen," she teased, when the kiss had ended.

"I'm willing to take the chance," he said, then drew away from her, looking at her. She was smiling, but something in her eyes was off. "Are you okay?" he asked, instantly concerned.

"Why wouldn't I be?" she asked, which of course, was not an answer.

"I don't know," he admitted. "I'm just asking. Did the Make-A-Wish thing go all right?" He knew sometimes that these kids got to May, she had such a big heart that it was tough for her to bond with these children, knowing most of them would never get to see adulthood.

"It went fine," May said. "The kids were great, there were two of them. I wasn't the only one granting a wish today, the little girl I was visiting, Ashley, she has a best friend with the same cancer, and his wish was fulfilled too." She looked at him, biting her lip. She wanted to put Roman behind her, put both limo rides behind her, but one thing Roman had said played in her mind. _'_ _I suppose you think Dolph will be faithful to you?_ _Good luck. The first time you're apart from him, the first time you're overseas with a Support the Troops tour, and he's back here? He's going to latch on to the first diva or ring rat to bat her eyes at him._ _'_

"Who went with you, then?" Dolph asked, still not breaking eye contact with her.

"Roman," May said.

Dolph swore once, softly, lightly, but there was still some feeling behind it. May could tell he wanted to ask her a million questions, was he rude, did he say anything bad, did he hurt her feelings. And at that moment she loved him so much for being so concerned about her for something as simple as being forced to spend an afternoon with someone she felt uncomfortable around. Most people would just think it was over and done and that it was time to move on. Dolph actually realized that something like this could have thrown her off her stride. "Was it okay?" he finally asked her, leaving her the choice to open the door and talk about it, by saying no, it wasn't, or to shut it by saying that things were fine.

"Dolph," she said, looking away for a moment, looking around the plain nondescript hotel room, that looked exactly like the hundreds she'd been in before. "Are you," she began, and stopped not knowing how to phrase this. "Do you-" she started again, and stopped again.

Dolph, for his part, didn't push her, didn't say "Are I, do I, what?" as she might have expected. He understood she didn't need help finding her thoughts, she just needed help finding the words and for him to push her might have made her withdraw. Instead, he just looked at her, concern, worry, and maybe even _love_ for her in his eyes.

She thought of her parents suddenly, the way the two of them would look at each other sometimes, over the dinner table, even if they were three deep in children, a look that told each other and the world that they shared something deeper then most folks would ever know. When May was old enough to realize her folks still, after all the kids, had a smoldering passion for each other, she remembered thinking that she would never marry anyone unless she could be 100% sure that she and him would be able to look at each other in that same way ten, fifteen, twenty years later. "Do you think that when people are separated for a long time, like we are sometimes, that while we're not together, it's okay for us to, uhm, do whatever we want?"

Dolph frowned a worry line cutting into his forehead. "You mean like 'What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas' type of thing?"

"Yeah," May nodded, relieved he'd found such a simple way of putting it. "I mean, we're lucky, we get to travel a lot together, but there are times when we have to go our own ways. I get sent over to do the Support the Troops shows, sometimes we get sent to different cities for house shows... I know there are people who think that when they separated from their, uh, significant other, for more than a couple nights, that it's okay to, uh, uh,"

"Find a temporary substitute?" Dolph said, wanting to spare her the embarrassment of struggling for the best way to put it.

"Yeah," May said, relieved. "I mean, I know some folks think that's perfectly okay, they don't even consider it cheating. I-I'm just wondering how you feel?"

He motioned her over to the bed and the two of them sat down together. He put his arm around her. "I have a feeling that temporary substitutes aren't even something you'd consider, am I right?"

She nodded. "I know Seth found some," she admitted, tears coming to her eyes, but disappearing just as fast as she forced herself to focus on Dolph. "He thought he was clever, but I'm not stupid. I rarely wear scent, so when I smell perfume on someone's boxers, I can connect the dots."

"Did you ever confront him?" Dolph asked, gently.

She shook her head. "It seemed pointless. He'd deny it and I'd look like some harpy who went around sniffing her boyfriend's underwear looking for evidence. So, I just... ignored it."

"But it hurt, didn't it?" Dolph asked, his voice still soft and gentle.

She said nothing, just looked at him and nodded.

Dolph exhaled slowly and evenly, as if trying to center himself. "That was Seth, you know?" He finally said. "And I know we agreed that we were going to forget the past and focus on us, but sometimes that's hard. Our past shapes us into what we are now. And you're a woman who's been pretty hurt by dating some inconsiderate jackass. So, to answer your question, no, I do not believe that when a couple is separated for days, weeks, even months, that's it's okay to screw other people. I mean, I know couples that do agree that's fine, and I have nothing against them, whatever works. But for me? If I like, oh hell, let's be honest, if I _love_ someone enough that they are the only person I want to be with when we are together, then that's the only person I want to be with when we're unable to be together too."

"In other words, if you can't be with them, you'll go it alone?" May asked, a faint smile on her face.

"Yeah," Dolph said, holding up his right hand. "I can always find a way to manage."

Now May giggled. "I'm not sure if you're giving me a boyscout promise, or showing me your solution to the problem," she said, motioning to his hand.

Now Dolph laughed with her. "Both?" They laughed again, then he grew serious. "May, listen, I don't know yet what the future holds, but when I think about it now, I know one thing."

"What's that?"

"That you're _always_ in it," Dolph said. "Some how, some way, you're always there. I-I can't even imagine a future without you. It's funny, with Amy, Nikki, any other girl I dated, even when I was head over heels, all caught up in the sparkling glow of everything being all brand new and exciting, I still could picture, at least one scenario where they weren't in my life anymore. I'm not saying that was what I wanted back then, it wasn't. But I could see it happening."

"But not with me?" May asked.

"Nope," He shook his head. "Not with my tiny wrestler. So, given that, why would I want to see someone-" he stopped abruptly and shook his head, "No, let's be honest, why would I want to cheat on someone who I want to be part of my future?"

"I-I feel the same way," May confessed, snuggling closer to him, leaning her head on his shoulder. "I don't know what the future holds either, but I always want you to be part of it, one way or another."

"Then let's not worry about the times when the WWE decides we need to work in separate corners of the globe," Dolph suggested, leaning over and kissing her, softly, sweetly, on the lips. "Let's trust that we'll always find a way back to each other, instead."

* * *

 _Two Weeks Later_

"Hey, are you ready to go?" Seth asked as he walked into Roman's hotel room. "Donna sent me to get you, she's gone to get the rental car." The three of them, Seth, Donda, and Roman were going out to get some breakfast and then put in some gym time before reporting to the arena.

"Yeah," Roman said, grabbing his gym bag. He started towards the door with his friend, then stopped. "Oh, wait!" he said, as if something had just occurred to him. "I have something, I keep forgetting to give it to you." He walked back over to the dresser and grabbed the jewel case with the CD May had given him and walked back over to Seth, handing it to him. "May gave this to me to give to you. I guess it's her brother's band?"

Seth took the CD and looked at it, grinning. "Yeah! When May and I were dating, we went to see Pistol Whipped Messiahs a few times. I like them. They're a punk/grunge fusion band. Grunk, they call it." He flipped the CD over, studying the play list, obviously pleased to have it. Then he looked at Roman. "Is that it?"

Roman frowned and forced himself to look puzzled. "What do you mean, is that it?" he asked, hoping he didn't look nervous. "That's all she gave me to give you," he lied.

"Darn," Seth said, looking of all things, slightly hurt and disappointed. "No cookies."

The End


End file.
